5 Things I’ve Learned about Wild Bees

Like many people, I had a general understanding of the role of bees as pollinators and threats they are facing today. However, Dr. Sheila Colla’s Let It Bee presentation deepened my understanding of wild (native) bees versus honey bees which are cultivated and have been imported from Europe. I walked away learning concrete steps I can take to support native bees in my community!

1. There are 350 species of wild (native) bees present
in the Great Toronto Area!

Wild bees have many different shapes, colors and sizes, contrary
to popular beliefs, majority of wild
bees are solitary (unsocial, live on their own and cannot sting!) Many native
bees also live in the ground. They nest in places such as vegetation, old
rodent burrows, long grass, mulch and piles of rock or logs.

2. Bees play a crucial role in local and global
plant and animal biodiversity and food security.

3. Pathogens from green houses, urban bee keeping
and managed bee populations are a major contributor to decline of wild bee
populations.

North American wild bee species are facing a 30 to 90 % decline. Pathogen
spillover from managed honey bees has been linked to increase in diseases among
native bee populations such as Bumble Bees. Dr. Colla warns that bee keeping should be
performed by trained professionals. Honey bees are
aggressive competitors, have large hives and resources. Studies show honey bees
can reduce forage activity of wild bees and disrupt native plant and bee
relationships.

4. Wild bees are not adapting fast enough to
temperature changes and are essentially ‘being squished in the middle’ of climate
zones.

Wild bees live in narrow climate niches. This means that the
impacts of climate change such as spring storms and late blooming of spring
flowers are quite detrimental. Unlike some other species that are moving north
with rising temperatures, bee populations are not able to move fast enough to
keep up with rising temperatures.

5. We can help! By planting native plants,
reducing insecticide use and collecting data in our cities, every day folks
like you and me can actually help the wild bee populations!

Create and
support pollinator-friendly habitats by planting native perennials, shrubs and
trees with a variety of colors and shapes; and most importantly, spring AND
fall blooms! Leave plant litter on the ground and have undisturbed spaces with
logs or branch piles.

Eliminate insecticide
use in your yard. Plant diverse native
species that require fewer inputs and use only natural pest control methods.

When
purchasing plants, ask whether the plants have been treated with neonicotinoids. If they say yes, or can’t tell you, don’t buy them.

Finally, citizen science has played a key role
in locating remote/small populations of endangered species and identifying new
species! We can contribute to on-going research on wild bees by collecting
reporting sightings of bumble bees!